Πολλαπλώς εξαιρετικές: Οι ομοσπονδιακές εκλογές του Σεπτεμβρίου 2005 στη Γερμανία

Abstract

This article addresses the structural context of the German Federal elections of 2005. The authors first provide an overview of the particularities of the German political system. They then shed some light on the shifts in public opinion during the second term in office of chancellor Schröder and the electoral campaign. Finally, they discuss the electoral results and their likely consequences. The authors -supporting their arguments with a variety of data and evidence- claim that the waning of ideological polarisation, the diversification of social oppositions, and the dwindling of partisan ties suggest that short-term factors have become extra-ordinarily important in the German people’s voting decision.